This invention relates to an intrapericardial assist device. This invention also relates to an associated surgical method of starting a stopped heart or restarting a heart with a pronounced arrythmia.
When a patient's heart stops, for example, in the operating room, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is required. In that procedure the chest is violently pounded at the region of the sternum to compress the chest and thereby compress the heart between the sternum and the spine. This compression forces blood out of the ventricles through the one-way valves of the heart. When the pressure on the heart is released, the heart expands and blood is sucked into the heart.
For all its violence, CPR is a delicate procedure in that it must be performed correctly in order to have the desired result of starting the stopped heart. A problem with CPR is that, whether or not it is performed correctly, CPR invariably results in cracked ribs, a fractured sternum and destroyed costochondral (cartilage) junctions. Thus even if a patient survives CPR, he is usually injured.
It is known to insert a needle into the intrapericardial space around the heart. This procedure is frequently undertaken to obtain a sample of fluid (e.g., blood) in the intrapericardial space. An electrical sensor at the tip of the needle senses when the surface of the heart has been reached and alerts the doctor to cease pushing on the needle.